Global Rights Nigeria has said there was a notable decline on all frontiers of civic space and basic freedoms during the 8-year rule of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Global Rights Nigeria is an international human rights organization.
Global Rights, while presenting an assessment of the civic space under the former President, also observed that there were also several legislative attempts to further stifle the civic space.
The Rights organization noted that had the attempts worked, Nigeria would have emerged as one of the most repressive democracies globally.
The report which was primarily centered on discussing the findings of Buhari’s eight years in office in relation to the civic space further observed that the period also witnessed an increase in the number and intensity of organizations working in defence of human rights and the protection of basic freedoms.
The report also observed that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) led 176 Nigerians to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, obtaining a ruling against the government’s Twitter ban.
“A class action lawsuit was initiated by Enough is Enough Nigeria against four mobile telecommunications operators in Nigeria, for obstructing access to the messaging platform.
“The plaintiffs in the suit filed a N5 billion claim at the Federal High Court in Lagos. Digital platforms became a battleground for NGOs and activists, where blogger-NGO collaborations thwarted the passage of restrictive social media legislation.’
“The State of Digital Rights Under the Buhari Administration President Buhari’s refusal to sign the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill (HB 490) was one of the defining instances in Nigeria’s discussion of digital rights.
“The Bill titled “An Act to provide for the protection of the human rights online, to protect internet users in Nigeria from infringement of their fundamental freedoms and to guarantee the application of human rights for users of digital platforms and/or digital media and for related matters” was introduced to the House of Representatives by Chukwuemeka Ujam, Member representing Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Enugu State.
However, the report acknowledged and pointed out how Buhari’s eight years in office added value to the civic space.
“While governmental actions in the eight years under review were largely inimical to the Civic Space, there are a few positives of note that should not be overlooked. Although the initial response to the #EndSars protests of 2020 by the Government was majorly dismissive, the Buhari administration soon realized that the fervour for change within the protesters was not going to abate, without a proper response from the Government.
‘The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was disbanded and when this was seen as nothing but a face-saving measure, the National Economic Council (NEC) proceeded to direct the immediate establishment of State-based Judicial Panels of Inquiry to investigate complaints of police brutality or related extrajudicial
“These panels were set up with the mandate of delivering justice for all victims of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS) and other police units.
“Thirty States heeded the call to set up independent panels to investigate alleged human rights abuses committed by the defunct SARS and other units of the Police received around 2,888 petitions. Most of the Panels completed their assignments and made recommendations to the government.
“However, most of the reports presented to State governments were not released to the public. In instances in which they were made public, there has regrettably been a lack of political will to implement them. The notable exceptions are Lagos and Ekiti States.
“The Panel of Enquiry for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was set up by the National Human Rights Commission under the moniker the “Independent Investigative Panel on Violations of Human Rights by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police units”. The panel of Enquiry in concluding its assignment cumulatively awarded about N445 million to 124 petitioners.’
“While a lot of focus has rightly been placed on repressive civic space legislations like the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020, It is also pertinent to mention legislation like the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The operational landscape for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria saw slight improvements with the enactment of this law. This positive change stemmed from the exclusion of CSOs from the designated nonfinancial business and professions list.
As a result, regulations were adjusted, reducing the reporting frequency for Non-Profit Organizations from a monthly to a quarterly timeline.”
However, some of the recommendations in the report for the present and future administrations, Global Rights called for; Strengthening Legislative Frameworks; Promoting Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law; Enhancing Civil Society Engagement; Promoting Media Freedom and Literacy; Building a Culture of Human Rights and Civic Education; Advocating for Data Protection and Privacy; Enhancing Digital Security and Literacy, addressing Structural Inequities and Corruption; Engaging the International Community; and Fostering Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities Participation amongst others.
